Jason La Rose
Canada’s National Men’s Team looks to keep the momentum going as it takes on Switzerland in a showdown for first place in Group A on Sunday at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.
Last Game
Canada shook off a very slow start against Finland on Saturday to earn a 5-3 victory. Dylan Cozens, Brandon Tanev, Owen Power, Brandon Hagel and Dawson Mercer supplied the offence for the Canadians, who trailed 2-0 and were outshot 12-0 in the first eight minutes before mounting their comeback and improving their record to 5-0.
The Swiss also made it five wins from as many games Saturday, getting three points apiece from Kevin Fiala (2-1—3) and Nico Hischier (1-2—3) in an 8-0 win over Denmark. Leonardo Genoni made 17 saves to earn the second-straight shutout for Switzerland, which is unbeaten through five games for the third year in a row.
Last Meeting
The teams met a year ago in the prelims in Riga. Tyler Toffoli opened the scoring midway through the second period and Michael Carcone finished it in the dying minutes, but the Canadians were left on the wrong end of a 3-2 result, the 14th of what would end up being 15 consecutive preliminary-round wins for the Swiss across three tournaments.
What to Watch
Known primarily for his defensive prowess, Power chipped in on offence against the Finns with a goal and two assists – his first National Men’s Team goal after going without at the 2021 Men’s Worlds and 2022 Olympics. The Mississauga native burst onto the international scene at that 2021 tournament in Riga (just a few weeks before he was the No. 1 pick by Buffalo in the NHL Draft ), becoming the youngest player to wear the Maple Leaf and playing an increasingly large role as Canada won an unlikely world title. His only Team Canada goals before Saturday? He became the first Canadian defenceman to score a hat trick at the World Juniors when he got three against Czechia on Boxing Day 2021.
Roman Josi has been an absolute beast on the blue-line for Switzerland, posting a tournament-leading 10 points (3-7—10) in five games. The Swiss captain was at his best in the 6-5 thriller against Austria last Sunday, scoring twice and adding two assists, including the primary helper on Hischier’s game-winner in the final minute. Josi’s performance in Prague is simply an extension of the terrific season he put together for the Nashville Predators – he is a Norris Trophy finalist after putting up 85 points (23-62—85) while playing all 82 games and leading the Predators to a playoff spot. Josi is no stranger to Men’s Worlds; this is his seventh appearance, owning a pair of silver medals from 2013 and 2018.
A Look Back
It’s meeting No. 35 between the Canadians and Swiss, with Canada laying claim to 26 wins from the first 34 (with two ties).
The most recent Canadian victory came in the quarterfinals of the 2019 tournament in Kosice, Slovakia. With an early exit less than a second away, Damon Severson tied the game with four-tenths remaining before Mark Stone gave Canada a dramatic 3-2 overtime win.
All-time record: Canada leads 26-6-2 (4-2 in OT/SO) Canada goals: 169 Switzerland goals: 54